pears

Thanks pears, and congrats on your top choice acceptance! Nothing like some good news after all this waiting.  UConn told me I wont have funding with them so I wont be going there unless its my only choice.

the more i hear about the admissions process for hard sciences -- i.e., the lab and publication politicking -- the more respect i have for the posters on here and my friends who are grad students (past, present, and future) in bio, chem, physics, etc. talk about a high pressure, delicately balanced process! woof. i think i'd have a hard time getting through it all with my self confidence intact still, so power to ya.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

the more i hear about the admissions process for hard sciences -- i.e., the lab and publication politicking -- the more respect i have for the posters on here and my friends who are grad students (past, present, and future) in bio, chem, physics, etc. talk about a high pressure, delicately balanced process! woof. i think i'd have a hard time getting through it all with my self confidence intact still, so power to ya.

the more i hear about the admissions process for hard sciences -- i.e., the lab and publication politicking -- the more respect i have for the posters on here and my friends who are grad students (past, present, and future) in bio, chem, physics, etc. talk about a high pressure, delicately balanced process! woof. i think i'd have a hard time getting through it all with my self confidence intact still, so power to ya.

Waffles with jalapeno cream cheese, followed by a pint of lemon sorbet. I'm either pregnant or I just got my MIT rejection. 
 
EDIT: and then half of a strawberry cheesecake. 

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

there are not enough palms in the world for me to sufficiently facepalm a facepalm as hard as that statement deserves. wahhh.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

haha, i'm glad somebody enjoys them!  

hey there,
 
i'm not a grad student (yet!), so i can't speak to the academic problems out of experience. that said, i've been dealing with crippling depression for years, and all of its equally horrible but constantly changing manifestations (i'm going to keep this trigger-free, but i suspect you probably know what i'm talking about; these things change between age 11 and age 22). i'm always in and out of therapy, on and off medications. most days are great, but there are definitely some days when getting out of bed is a major feat, so i can empathize.
 
the only insight i can really give you, then, is that a chemical imbalance does not necessitate a state of mind. you are not your depression. you are a good, hardworking, dedicated student who pretty much got the short, poop-smeared end of the brain chemistry lottery. for example, i consider myself to be a happy, social person by nature, but letting that shine instead of, say, a "protective" layer of cynicism and self-doubt borne out of insecurities, is a constant uphill battle. hearing people say "just cheer up!" is immensely frustrating, and usually isn't helpful, so i'll try to give you practical advice that i've picked up along the way that has helped me.
 
first, like i said, remember that you are not your depression; a chemical imbalance doesn't have the right to determine what kind of person you are.
 
second, focus on one task at a time, but keep a running schedule -- including as much time as you can feasibly get for things like exercise, social outings, etc. -- so you don't let yourself slip into the inertia of being unable to get the gears turning. it takes some getting used to, but i've found that blocking off my time and sticking to what i've planned is a very successful way to not only get myself up and running, but to keep moving, and keep my mind too busy to occupy itself with negative thoughts. only you can keep yourself busy, and only you know your limits, so don't push yourself too much.. but also, don't push too little. 
 
third, reach out to people, especially if you're making a change (be it a change of advisers or a change of scenery). even if you're geographically further from your usual support network, it is absolutely essential to stay in touch. don't hold back about sharing feelings, as long as you're comfortable; it's okay to be scared, nervous, lonely, etc. you're only human. reach out to all possible LoR writers as soon as you can; get in touch with your initial writers, if need be.
 
fourth, be progressive, even when it's hard to be positive. you may feel that you're ensnared in a negative situation, but there's no way to get yourself out if you don't keep moving towards a new goal. don't bite off more than you can chew. set simple, but attainable, goals for each day. one day, talk to you adviser about your plans; another day, meet with potential new advisors or LoR writers; another, submit [X number] of applications to different programs, and so on. reward yourself with simple things when you can, especially if your goal was a particularly emotionally taxing one, e.g., go for a mellow bike ride to clear your head or treat yourself to a nice meal after meeting with your (jerky) adviser. 
 
i hope those help. i realize it's hard to put someone else's words into action, but those are the things that have helped me the most. also, don't be too down on yourself: you clearly love what your field of research is, and you wouldn't be in grad school for it if you weren't cut out for it in the first place. don't lose sight of your passion, and keep pressing forward; your dedication, despite this crappy situation, means that you will find a way to do what you love, even while you're fighting against the multi-headed dragon of depression at all times. if anything, the fact that you're fighting depression on top of said crappy situation means that you're definitely not a failure. kudos to you for not giving up! best of luck!
 
ps: feel free to PM me at any time. 

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

since we're up to our necks in the waiting process now, we've had a lot of negative vibes on this board lately, so i wanted to share one of my favorite things ever: the calming manatee. 
 

 
calming manatee loves you unconditionally. it wants to make sure you're nourishing your body, as well as your mind and soul. 
 

 
calming manatee agrees: it's totally jerky of adcomms to make you wait so long, after you put so much work into your applications. 
 

 
still, calming manatee is just as realistic as you are, and understands that sometimes a tasty beverage is the best solution.
 
 
in general, this is now a thread full of soothing and smile-inducing things from around the interwebs. waiting and decision-making are really stressful, so i think we all owe it to ourselves to create a little refuge of good vibes to temporarily distract us all from the swirling vortex of dismay, worry, and apprehension. 
 
enjoy, friends 

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.

congrats powertorest! and right back atcha, radiomars. anthropology and all its subfields seem to have a somewhat different app process compared to the more "common" fields around here, so it's nice to have a group of awesome, supportive people who totally get it.

you should send them this as an attachment, and have the body of the email be a modified version of the rejection you received, if you got a letter/email.